Rushen & Higham V Kettering U13's

By Sue Bowman

The true spirit of Rugby

Great to have a local away game with a full team out this week. R & H promised to be a competitive side and they didn't disappoint. Here's how it played out:KRFC using the backs to full affect and Rory runs in a brace of tries up the left wing, great hands & a great step from the winger. Ball out to the left again and Will L-W in for a try. Max on the break now & he sprints for the line, he's caught by R&H but a fantastic leg drive see's him score. KRFC kick off & Ben secures the ball, out to Frazer, out Freddie & out to Ioan who scores a great bit of team work from the backs. R&H are drawing us into an arm wrestle in the middle, their forwards are very strong but KRFC are working hard. Maul turns to ruck Bryce in the ruck with Will H driving over & we secure the ball. R&H really coming into the game now, their forwards are dominant at the breakdown. R&H carry on the attack & they score on the wing. Rushden on the break, down the wing but a great tackle from Austin. R&H forwards continue to cause havoc & their big 7 has run in a try, good score from them. R&H attack again & it's another score for them. R&H dominant again at the breakdown, they're making the boys work hard this morning. End of the first half.DOR talks about keeping the ball off the floor & get the ball through the hands. The boys are listening & great ball through the hands to Ben who runs it in. KRFC forwards are really working hard now, Charlie making good breaks & huge tackles, Shea with great leg drives making metres. KRFC are in R&H half but a great interception from them & one of their forwards runs the length of pitch to score. KRFC dominate the breakdown now, Charlie & Shea driving well with support from the rest of the forwards. Alex at 9 is now getting a lot of clean ball at the breakdown, clean ball means quick ball & it's out to Tom R, Fraser & Ben in for the score. Gethin makes a good tackle on the wing & he's back in for the ruck, his best performance this season. Ball through hands is beautiful, Rory out to Fraser who after some of his trade mark "unique" running scores. R&H kick off & Charlie tackles hard & gives KRFC time to secure the ball. R&H loose the ball out on the wing & Oran sprints across the pitch to secure it & he's off towards the try line, he gets caught. Lovely offload to Sam who scores under the posts. Will L-W tackling anything in black & white with a ball all morning. R&H big 7 breaks through three tackles but Will L-W brings him down, he's hurt his knee in the process but heart of a lion today. R&H working through some phases & their forwards make it up to our try line but we hold the ball up. Great never say die attitude from the boys in blue.Break in Play: Dog poo on the ball & some players, change of ball required, nasty!Balls gone loose & Freddie has picked it up & run in a try. Freddie has been pulling the strings all morning again, great field management from him. Whistle has gone and it's time here at Manor Park.Tries: Rory 2, Will L-W 1, Max 1, Ioan 1, Ben 2, Fraser 1, Sam 1, Freddie 1.Both teams really enjoying the morning so R&H DOR sets up a Barbarians game of R&H-KRFC V R&H-KRFC, great sportsmanship from both sides.To sum up, another fantastic team effort today, improvements in all all areas. Great tackling from everyone. R&H drew us into a forwards battle at times & it was good for our forwards to compete in this area. Solid scum from the boys & all around great handling today. The backs putting in some set plays & the inside ball from training. We got some really positive feedback from R&H about the boys, the way they play & the way they conduct themselves. We do get some great praise from the opposition most weeks. Great teamwork today parents, coaches & players. Core values on show all around.